What is a PRM Passenger?

A person with reduced mobility refers to any person’s mobility. Physical disability like emotion or locomotory, intellectual incapacity, age, disease, or any other cause of inefficiency when using transport, and its condition is reduced due to need.

Airports and airlines mark significant figures about passengers with restricted mobility. But passengers with restricted mobility can also be defined, and they also have some rights.

The growth of passengers with restricted mobility or PRMs is growing rapidly in overall passenger growth at airports worldwide. One statistics shows that the number of passengers with restricted mobility increased by six times more than before. For instance, Heathrow airport announced in 2016 that there were approximately 1.2 million restricted mobility passengers travelling through the center.

In accordance with EU Regulation “EC-1107/2006” from 26 July 2006, the responsibility for assisting to people who with reduced mobility when travelling by air is transferred to airports.

Vienna International Airport, in accordance with EU Regulation EC-1107/2006, the quota has been provided to assist the passengers with reduced mobility.

Passengers with restricted mobility can be defined under one of the three categories of airlines or airports:

A buggy or wheelchair must be offered to the passenger who can’t walk long distances from the airport gate.

A passenger who can’t ascend the stairs should be provided with the use of an ambulift to lift on/off the aircraft. In some airports where ambilift is not use or not available, passengers with restricted mobility are introducing curves to provide wheelchair access to the aircraft easily.

A buggy or wheelchair must be provided to transport a passenger to the aircraft who is completely immovable, there will be used an ambilift to lift on/off the passenger in the aircraft. Some airports are currently introducing curves to provide wheelchair access to aircraft easily. There is no ambilift available at such airports.

Other type of disability passengers such as those with complete or partial vision impairment, hearing impairment, and/or speech impairment should not be confused with passengers with reduced mobility. These two types of people should not be treated as one. This is because these above passengers can walk and board the flight themselves. However, from a security perspective it is essential that airport officials be aware of their disability before boarding the aircraft. This allows the cabin crew the opportunity to prepare and provide an adequate flight protection for their disability.